Be a PD Sparker!

Huge thanks to Chris Good that jumped in and fleshed this idea out on our gdrive doc!

Overview: (What’s this idea about)

This idea is about individual empowerment and group synergies. Taking the reigns of your own learning and making things happen.

Potential For Impact: (Why is this an idea that promotes continued growth?)

It is simple and straightforward. It will utilise peer pressure (in a good way) to foster a snowball effect of self-directed learning and individual empowerment. It also leverages expertise found in the group and shares it with the larger community. The expertise is from within and is shared.

Value Prop/Pitch: (How would you pitch this to other teachers in your school? Your principal? Etc)

You have the power to make everyone around you better at what they do.

Why? because you're amazing - and because you have the gift of all your years of teaching experience.

Imagine if you could share all of that experience with your peers, and in return learn from them. Successes, stumbles, and surprises exist in all of our stories, and all we have to do is celebrate them.

Take charge of your professional learning and join a like-minded team of your peers. Be a PD-Sparker!

How’d I get this idea off the ground?

This is easy. Begin with getting individuals to share their stories. Once they gain empathy and trust with one another - ask them to identify a list of topics they are personally interested in with the intent of having to then teach it to the group.

Once this begins to take shape and gain momentum the group can then matriculate those learning experiences from shared discussions to formalized action plans or best practices.

How you can get started:

A simple email inviting you colleagues to come over and talk together. Find teachers, insert storytelling, stir. and make it happen.

Metrics:

The development of new or innovative action plans, tools, or best practices - and their implementation in the classroom.

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11/18/15

What if you organized gatherings after work to discuss common interests and learned from each other and your school noticed the trends and organized PDs according to those informal meetings.

What if PD was led by YOU and your colleagues?

The idea is quite simple...send an email to all and set a date and a time (like the picture above) and learn and grow together. Invite EVERYONE!!!!!

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Great idea Paula! We do this at my school sometimes both informally (like above) and more formally (e.g., a volunteer "breakfast club" at 7am once a month where a teacher signs up to share about a topic). Once challenge I have encountered is getting people to show up on the actual day of the discussion. How might we help create a community of engagement or accountability that lends itself towards colleagues being able to give their time? Maybe if discussions could happen during the school day, it would be easier?